Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 May 2016
56. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Finance the extent to which overdraft facilities continue to be restored to the business and farming sectors with particular reference to the need to ensure the availability of adequate resources to facilitate ongoing economic performance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10850/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that in my role as Minister for Finance I have no direct function in the relationship between the banks and their customers. I have no statutory function in relation to the banking decisions made by individual lending institutions at any particular time; these are taken by the board and management of the relevant institution. This includes decisions in relation to products as determined by the banks.
All viable businesses operating in Ireland should have the opportunity to access sufficient finance to meet their enterprise needs in a manner that supports growth and employment in the economy. As the Deputy will be aware, Chapter 7 (Finance for Growth) of this year's Action Plan for Jobs (APJ) sets out a range of commitments to ensure viable SME's can access appropriate finance at a reasonable cost from both bank and non-bank sources.
In line with Action 144 of the APJ, officials from my Department continue to collate and examine data from AIB and Bank of Ireland on a monthly basis, including data pertaining to overdraft facilitates. Furthermore, my officials meet the banks on a quarterly basis to ensure an informed understanding of the wider SME bank lending environment which assists the development and implementation of policies aimed at ensuring SME access to finance and increased competition in the SME lending sector.
In relation to the restoration of overdraft facilities, both AIB and Bank of Ireland saw an increase in overdraft sanctions in 2015 compared to 2014. It is noted, however, that overdraft utilisations have declined and this is in line with findings from the Department of Finance SME Credit Demand Survey and an indicator of increasing reliance on retained profits to meet working capital needs. Further results from the survey can be found at www.finance.gov.ie.
